Conditions : Ulcers

Ulcers, as they are commonly known, refer to the peptic or gastric (stomach) and duodenal (upper intestine) variety, although they may appear on almost any part of the body, such as bed sores, which are called decubitus ulcers. A crater like lesion is left on the surface of the skin or mucous membrane when dead tissue sloughs off as a result of localized necrosis (tissue death). Gastric juices eat away the lining of the stomach or duodenum causing bleeding in severe situations. This can result in shock, anaemia and other complications. A perforated ulcer occurs when the juices eat right through the mucous membrane. Severe inflammation of the peritoneal membrane lining the abdominal cavity may result, accompanied by a substantial amount of persistent pain and often nausea and vomiting. At one time stress was considered the major cause of ulcers, today Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is considered the major cause. Even though this bacteria is almost always present in ulcer cases, this does not mean that it is the cause. Fortunately the following therapies have shown to decrease H. pylori, as well as reducing ulcer occurrence, without the use of antibiotics.

Recommended Action

Eat smaller and more frequent meals (six to eight light meals daily) to reduce the amount of gastric juices necessary. Thoroughly chewing and salivating each bite will enhance digestion and remove much of the burden from the gastric juices. Raw fruits and vegetables should be blended, pureed or juiced until recovery is well under way. Eating bland fruits/vegetables such as avocados, bananas and squash is beneficial. Avoid citrus and other highly acid fruits for some time; eliminate all fried foods and refined carbohydrates. A specific remedy for duodenal ulcers is raw, freshly made cabbage juice, while stomach ulcers respond well to raw, freshly made potato juice. It is important these remedies be made fresh each time. They may be taken individually, mixed together, or mixed with carrot or celery juices. Drink all liquids (juice, tea and even water) at a temperature as close as possible to that of the body. Cabbage juice often stings the first few times it is taken. A low mucus diet should be adopted. Even though a popular cure for ulcers is to drink plenty of milk, we feel that this will only aggravate the situation in the long run. We have been using a lot of a Chinese patent medicine called ‘Fare You’ – formerly called ‘Vitamin U’. This product is an extract of cabbage roots and works very effectively.